The House of Aigas, an idyllic Scottish retreat where conservation meets recreation

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The House of Aigas was discovered by the naturalist and writer Sir John Lister-Kaye in 1976 when the estate was on the verge of ruin, and the concept of nature conservation was gaining momentum. Taking as his credo a quote from Gavin Maxwell (of Ring of Bright Water fame) – ‘I am convinced that man has suffered in his separation from the soil and from the other living creatures of the world’ – Sir John transformed it into a family home and the first field studies centre in the Highlands.

Restoring our lost connection with the natural world remains the mission statement of this 600-acre Inverness-shire estate. Indeed, one of the first things that visitors see when they arrive at the house is a moss-furred skull of a minke whale on its outside walls. It is primarily a family home – but Sir John, his wife Lucy, daughter Hermione and her partner Greg also use it as a base to provide an environmental education for more than 5,000 children each year and support their philanthropic activities through tourism.

In 1976 the estate was on the verge of ruinCredit:
JOHN PAUL

As well as week-long holidays with themes ranging from wildlife photography to botany, guests can sign up to tailor-made weeks with the Aigas rangers accommodating all manner of requests and excursions. Not that one need venture far through the lichen-strewn forests here to encounter spectacular nature. In the loch, beavers have constructed a mammoth lodge out of old birch trees. Red and roe deer, otters, red squirrels, ospreys, ravens and crested tits all similarly make Aigas home while the estate runs a Scottish wildcat breeding programme hoping to restore genetic purity to the threatened species.

Rangers plan a day out for guestsCredit:
sally stevens

By night, pine martens and badgers roam the forests and can be spotted from specially constructed hides. But Aigas is no zoo and they are elusive creatures. We spent several evenings huddled in blankets watching branches we had smeared with honey and peanuts – to no avail.

There are three guest rooms in the House of Aigas (whose architecture is a hotchpotch of various epochs, the most obvious being the baronial Victorian Scots additions to the façade). Up to 40 guests can also stay in comfortable timber lodges – it is a point of pride that all the trees used in construction grew within 50 miles of the castle.

A Scottish wildcatCredit:
Sir John Lister Kaye

The joy of staying in Aigas is this feeling of self-sufficiency. Water comes filtered from the loch. Meals, which are served in the main hall on a mammoth dining table surrounded by Lister-Kaye portraits and crackling log fires, are made using local ingredients, including organic venison from the estate itself. Afterwards guests retire to sip drams of whisky in the drawing room or listen to specialist talks.

The enthusiasm of the Lister-Kaye family to bring us closer to the natural world is deeply infectious. Aigas is not the place to lamentthe loss of so much of our British wilderness. Rather to emerge emboldened by the realisation that if we simply provide it with space to breathe, nature can flourish all around us.